Mr Barr won’t be the only passenger delayed. Fog usually disrupts flights at Canberra Airport on an average of 21 days each year.

Hosted by the VisitCanberra tourism authority, the “speed dating” style seminar included 15-minute presentations by organisations including the National Museum of Australia, Australian Institute of Sport, hotel operators and the Canberra Convention Centre.

First-hand familiarity with Canberra was low, with only a few of the attendees having visited the ACT and just one having been in the past five years.

VisitCanberra chief Ian Hill said Singapore tourists love Australia – and the ACT had to compete for their business.

He said events in cities such as Singapore helped build relationships with travel agents, who serve as powerful marketers for Canberra when planning holidays and business travel for their clients.

Canberra’s open spaces and national institutions were key to the city’s appeal, he said.

“There is 86 per cent repeat visitation rate to Australia by Singaporeans so they are looking for something new,” he said.

Mr Barr and airport chief Stephen Byron will continue meetings with international airlines during his visit to Asia.

The ACT government has committed $600,000 to marketing and tourism services, if a deal can be reached with an international carrier.

Mr Hill expects direct international flights to Canberra would operate within two to five years.

“I think we’ve got an infrastructure now that allows us to start a more serious conversation with a range of airlines and that’s what we are doing.

“Generally high disposable income, public servants with good leave arrangements and a propensity to travel; from an outbound perspective, shopping and travel going into south-east Asia. The bit we’re doing work on is convincing them on the inbound perspective.”

Singapore-based tourism participants said the lack of flights was holding back Canberra’s market share, with many choosing Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.

Singaporean tourists have some of the highest repeat visitation rates to Australia, and the latest ACT industry figures show travel from Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia increased by more than 30 per cent in 2013.